PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Political Theory — meaning and approaches
Examine the importance of behavioural approach in political theory. What led to its decline?
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
R1 chief legacy of positivism — revolt against formalism + politics as empirical science. R2 its scientific ambition = both its rise and its fall.
Body flow
Merriam’s call → Easton recentres the human being — foundations + tools — Almond, Dahl — Parsons: technique outran theory — neglect of values (Strauss) — 1960s crises, status-quo charge.
Counter-view
Its methods and empirical gains were absorbed, not discarded — only the value-free claim fell.
Conclusion routes
R1 decline as correction, not death — post-behavioural
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
